TagPart 150(269)

Burien resident and former Boeing Field Noise Officer Sharyn Parker testified in support of HB 1683, arguing that the Port of Seattle deliberately understated Sea-Tac Airport's growth projections to avoid alarming nearby communities, while simultaneously planning a multi-billion dollar expansion — leaving residents exposed to increasing noise and emissions without adequate mitigation. She points to the Port's 2013-2018 Part 150 Noise Study becoming outdated just two years after approval, and a four-year delay in implementing approved sound insulation measures, as evidence of mismanagement and misleading communications. Parker and coalition members are calling for nighttime cargo flights to be offloaded to a new regional airport, contending that Sea-Tac has exhausted both its physical footprint and airspace capacity.

Port Of Seattle 2024 Environment and Sustainability Annual Report section on aircraft noise mitigation at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac Airport). Covers the Sound Insulation Program including 320 apartment units with finalized designs, 3 single family homes insulated, 3 places of worship awaiting construction, and Pacific Middle School (Highline School District) scheduled to open August 2027

Four cities neighboring Seattle-Tacoma International Airport — Burien, Normandy Park, SeaTac, and Des Moines — submitted formal comments on the airport's Sustainable Airport Master Plan Environmental Assessment, raising concerns about aircraft noise, air quality, and community health impacts. The letter argues that standard noise metrics like DNL 65 dBA fail to capture residents' real experiences, and calls for supplemental noise measurements, expanded sound insulation programs, and broader mitigation efforts beyond current regulatory thresholds. The cities urge the Port of Seattle to collaborate directly with local communities throughout the environmental review process to ensure that airport growth does not disproportionately burden adjacent neighborhoods.

This document presents the opening materials from a December 13, 2023 StART (Stakeholder Advisory Round Table) meeting for the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport Part 150 Study, a federally guided process for assessing and managing aircraft noise impacts. The study is being conducted by ESA, an environmental aviation consultancy with experience at more than 180 airports nationwide and over 25 completed Part 150 Studies. The meeting introduced the ESA project management team and outlined the firm's qualifications for leading Sea-Tac's noise compatibility planning effort.

This technical memorandum, prepared by Leigh Fisher for the Port of Seattle in September 2023, provides an updated aviation activity forecast for Seattle-Tacoma International Airport as part of a FAA Part 150 noise study. It outlines forecast and operational assumptions—including projected aircraft types and flight activity levels—that were used to model future noise conditions around Sea-Tac. The report is accompanied by operational data appendices supporting the airport's long-term noise compatibility planning efforts.

Aviation noise consultant Vince Mestre explains to the Port of Seattle why changing the FAA's 65 DNL noise contour standard — the threshold used to determine acceptable aircraft noise near residential areas — would likely require an act of Congress rather than a simple regulatory update. The 65 DNL standard is embedded in at least three federal regulations and orders (CFR 14 Parts 150 and 161, and FAA Order 1050.1F), all of which trace their authority back to enabling legislation such as the Aviation Safety and Noise Abatement Act (ASNA) of 1978 and the Airport Noise and Capacity Act (ANCA) of 1990. Because the FAA's rulemaking authority is granted and bounded by those Congressional statutes, modifying ASNA would most likely be required before the FAA could formally lower or otherwise change the noise compatibility standard.